Publicis groupe

The history of Publicis Groupe dates back to 1926 , when Marcel Blestein-Blanchet founded his advertising agency in Paris .

Marcel Bleystein was not afraid to experiment. In 1929, he signed an agreement with the state mail , which then ran the radio stations, and his agency became the first in the history of France and the exclusive seller of advertising in the emerging media . Publicis is fast becoming a well-known and successful advertising agency.

Soon, authorities prohibit advertising on the air of public radio stations . But Bleysteyn brilliantly solves this problem: in 1935, a 29-year-old businessman buys Radio LL and on his basis creates a private Radio Cite. For the country's radio industry, this deal can be called historic. It is believed that it was Radio Cite that set the modern standards for broadcasting: for the first time, news began to appear every hour, live broadcasts began to invite popular artists, and radio shows were played on the spot there. Own radio station has become an invaluable laboratory for Publicis, which made it possible to recognize the laws of communication, prompted new forms of building an advertising message.

So, the first sponsorship screensavers appeared in Radio Cite programs. For the 1930s, this was a revolutionary discovery. Other media carriers did not go unnoticed. In 1938, Publicis, on an equal footing with the Havas agency (now France’s second advertising and communications holding), created Cinema et Publicite (Cinema and Advertising), the country's first network to produce and display commercials in movie theaters.

Subsequently, Cinema et Publicite became the independent Mediavision network specializing in cinema advertising. In parallel, Bleystein takes control of Metro Bus Publicite (advertising on vehicles). Today, this company is known as Metrobus , a joint venture of Publicis Groupe and outdoor advertising companies JCDecaux . In the same 1938, Bleystain founded the Regie Presse - sales house, which sells ads in major national newspapers and magazines , including Elle and France Dimanche. In the 1950s, the combined circulation of all the publications presented in the Regie Presse portfolio exceeded one million copies a day.

In 1948, Marcel Blaine Blanchet made a business trip to the United States . The achievements of American colleagues convince him that the key link in communication is the consumer . Upon returning home, Bleustain signs an agreement with the French Institute of Public Opinion and, with his active assistance, opens a research department at Publicis. His task is to analyze the market and study consumer behavior, primarily motivation .

Even before the war, Publicis was one of the first to offer its customers services that can be called the prototype of modern marketing research and media planning. After the war, the scientific approach became the hallmark of the agency. Publicis continues to be an innovator. In the 1960s, the agency created a print for Rosy, in which a rose flaunts on the shoulders of a naked beauty. Its delicate petals, according to the authors, best emphasize the tenderness of Rosy lingerie. For the first time in French advertising, the product itself was not shown, but a metaphor was used.

In October 1968, an advertisement appeared on French television . And the first video - for Boursin cheese with the participation of actor Jacques Duby - was made by Publicis. In the story, a man can’t fall asleep in any way and constantly jumps out of bed and runs to the refrigerator, repeating 18 (!) Times the name of the cheese brand. The slogan is Du pain, du vin, du Boursin (“Bread, Wine, Boursin Cheese”). A survey conducted in the late 1990s showed that 64% of respondents over 30 still remember this slogan. In 1970, Publicis goes public.

In 1975, Bleystain moved away from operational management - his protege Maurice Levy became the director of the agency. In the late 1970s, Publicis continued to diversify its business: departments for sales promotion, public relations, HR consulting, and new technologies appeared.

In 1984, all assets — 23 agencies in Europe and the United States — were merged into Publicis Groupe. Two years later, for the first time, it is one of the twenty largest advertising and communication holdings in the world. In 1986, Publicis launches TV6, the first French music channel. In 1987, the group acquired its own media network Optimedia, and in 1988 Publicis formed an alliance with the FCB network. Combining already 176 agencies in 40 countries, Publicis-FCB becomes the first largest advertising structure in Europe (the union broke up in 1997, now FCB is a division of the Interpublic Group).

In the new century, Publicis Groupe has achieved yet another success - today it is the fourth largest advertising and communication holding in the world and the first in the European market (data from the weekly AdAge (inaccessible link) ). The plans of Maurice Levy - to bring the group to first place in the industry ranking table.

In many ways, the head of the holding plans to achieve this through development in digital marketing. In 2008, the holding created the VivaKi media communication group - it combined the global networks of Digitas, Denuo, Starcom MediaVest and ZenithOptimedia. In Russia, VivaKi network has strong positions (the first place in billing - RECMA and Kommersant ratings) - it is represented by three operationally independent media communication agencies: MediaVest, Starcom and Zenith .

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